Means for reconditioning radiotubes



Nov. 23 1926. 1,608,083

J. (3.. DALEY MEANS FOR RECONDITIONING RADIO TUBES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 File d August 10, 1925 Nov. 23 1926.

J. C. DALEY MEANS FOR RECONDITIONING RADIO TUBES Filed August 10 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. DALEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 JEFFERSON ELECTRIC MFG.

00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOISyAQORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

I MEANS FOR 'RECONDI'IIONING RADIOTUBES.

Application filed August 10,1825. Serial No. 49,468.

filaments are subject to various troubles or sim lified device misuses which I have outlined as follows.-v

I find that the period over which tubes of this sort will give efficient service is limited. They are dependent for proper operation on a high degree of vacuum. The emission is paralyzed by excessive filament voltages and apparently becomes exhausted from continued use. 7

Through continued use occluded gases are liberated which cause a high surface resistance and reduce the electronic emissivity.

Tube deterioration begins with-the first instants use and within a comparatively short time a noticeabledecrease in plate cur rent and amplification often takes place, which is made apparent by the radio set giving less volume and poor filament current in an effort to force the tubes to perform as they should. This generally hastens the tubes demise and gives unsatisfactory reception.v Excessive filament current may even burn out or completely destroy the tube long before its useful life would under'normal conditions, be

reached. These tubes are relatively expensive and frequent replacement is undesirable. One weak tube in a. multiple tube set Will keep the entire set from functioning properly and increasingthe filament currents to compensate for lack in volume, may soon impairthe balance of the tubes.

My present-invention is designed to recondition the tube and thus retard deterioraticn or loss of effectiveness due to-any one or any combination of the foregoing causes, and the objects of my present invention are .the provision of a} generally improved and that may be economically pro uced, j

Primarily, Iprovide' for imposing, first, a relatively ,high' voltage across the filament, and following thisv with a lower voltage. The greater voltage drives the gases-out of the filament-and reduces the surface resistancerthus increasing the electronic emissivity. It is possible also that some of the thorium. isibrought to the surface inthe form of a film. The lower voltage is then quality. The average radio owner usually increases the applied to anneal the filament wire and leave it in a proper tensile condition, not brittle or paralyzed. Where. it is paralyzed, it seems to-de-paralyze it and bring it back to proper tensile condition so that by the treatment which I provide, the tube is prop:

erly reconditioned whether paralyzed or exhausted or a combination of. the two.

I provide for using an alternating or pulsating current which I find is highly'desirable for this 'purpose. The intervals between the pulsations seem to provide a cool- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodi ment of'the invention; i

Fig. 2 isa side elevational view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the li.ne4 4of Fig-1;

Fig. 5 is a detailed section online 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detailed section taken on the line 6-6'of-Fig. 1; and a Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram of the invention.

The device selected for illustration comprises a container 5 of generally rectangular formation with an open top and bottom. This container 5 maybe formed of sheet metal or any other suitable or preferred material,the free ends of the stock making a lap" joint at 6 and adapted to be fastened together along said joint as by means of rivets 8.

The open bottom of the shell 5 is closed by a bottom member 10 which may also be of sheet metal or other suitable material and has an upstanding flange 12 surrounding the lower edge of the container 5, the bottom 10 being adapted to be secured to the lower edge of the container through this flange as by means of rivets14.

Underlying the bottom 10 is a base me m' ber 15, the margin 16 of which isdownset.

Inn

at 17 to provide a surrounding supportingledge and turned up obliquely at 18 therefrom.v Within the marginlG the base member 15 has protuberances 19 pressed up out of the surface thereof and ad acent same the.

A device adapted to be used for removing a Wheel from an axle upon Which it is keyed comprising a body provided at its opposite ends With alined sockets of different sizes, and anvil plugs fitting in the sockets.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CASH A. CLEMONS.

properly engage andpressfirmly against the desired tube contacts upon insertion of the same into the socket. As with the socket 35-, the opposite end of the spring 60; is secured to the panel 28 by the stud 62', which stud 62 passes through the panel,

. pivots a switch arm 63Jand electrically conbe raised or headed slightlyfliig. 6) so thatnectsthe spring with said arm 63'. The

arm 63 has, as before, a. limited pivotal 'movement about the stud 62' as an axis and between a pair of; stop pins 64 secured to -the panel 28. At its outer end the arm 63" has a terminal contact-65' and an insulating knob or fingerpiece 68' for swinging the knob into-the desired position. Secured to the panel 28. in the path of travel-of the contact 65 are a high Voltage contact 70' and a low voltage. contact 72-, one of these contacts underlying the contact 65' at each of its limits of pivotal or swinging movement.

As before, the low voltage contact72 may as the arm 63' is swung over the same the contact 65' will be s rung into engagement therewith, but the hlgh voltage contact 70' is preferably-accessed (Fig. 5) ,so that upon swinging the arni -63- thcreovcr depression of the arm. 63' is necessary to bring the contact 65 into contact with the terminal contact 70'., The. purposes of this have already been explained in connectionwith the socket I preferably employ alternating or pulsating current, and for applying the desired voltages to the tube connectors, I provide within the container 5 a suitable transformer 80. The transformer may be of the type' more fully disclosedin the copending application of Morris M. FultonQSeriill No.-

737,958, filed September 15, 1924, or it may beof any other suitable orpreferredtype. As shown in the circuit diagram of 'Fig. 7, it comprises a primary winding 82', a second'ary'winding .83and suitable core 84.

Suitably insulated conductors 85 supply the primary winding 82 with alternating current, said conductors 85 extending out through an insulating bushing 86 mounted in one side of the container 5 and being provided at their .free end with a suitable plug orconnector 87 for quick connection and disconnection with an Edison or other outlet. Referring further to-the diagram of Fig.

Y 7, a-c'onductor 90 connects one end of the secondary 83 with onelpair of terminal'fcontacts of'the two tube-sockets, for example .the contacts 56 and 56, and this conductor forms a common-connection for the high and low of both sockets. A conductor 92 connects the opposite end of'the secondary winding 83 with the ,h-igh contact 70 for the socket35. The low contact 72 for the socket 35 is" connected tojthe secondary 83- by'xneans-of a conductor- 93, itbeing appa'w entthat the voltagebetween the'connection In use, the

tact and-is 'left there for 10 minutes.

of theconductor 90 with the secondary, and the connection 93 therewith is less than the voltage between the conductor connections 90 and.92. The high contact 70 for the socket 36 is connected to the. secondary by means of a conductor 95 and the low contact 72 for said socket is connected to the secondary by means of a conductor 96. it again being apparent that thevoltagc betweenthe conductor connection 90 and 95 is greater than the voltage between the conductor connection 90 and 96 with the secondary. ages in a particular device which I have found suitable for the. u'rpose confemplated,

The ratio between these volt- I is generally in the or er of 15 to. 8 for the socket 35and 10 to 5 for the socket 36. This, of course, may and will vary with difiercnt adaptations.

tube is placed in its corresponding." socket with the filament contacts in proper engagement with the contact arms .56 and 60 or 56' and ,60' thereof. The corresponding switch arm 63 or 63' is then switched i onto H contact and held manually for 45 seconds. This high voltage across the filament .drives the occluded gases out and brings the thorium tothe surface of the filament and conditions the same for further electronic emission. Upon th expiration of 45 seconds on the H? cont-ac the switch arm is swung to the corresponding L c(1)n- T 1is low voltage current across the filament anneals the filament and prevents brittleness or proper condition for further use. The tube is then removed and is ready for further use. It may be tested before and after the reconditioning treatment to determine the degree of improvement, and where still further improvement is required, the tube may be additionally treated or treated over.for

a less period of time, depending upon the within thecontainer by a suitable insulating compound (not shown). The device is selfcontained and the container performs the additional function of supporting thetubes without danger of short-circuiting and the excessive application of a high filament voltage in treating the tube is provided against. The'cover"25 may be detachably secured to the'container as by the cooperation of inden-" tations 100 pressed" into the marginal .flange 27 thereof (Fig.- 4) with indentations 102 pressed into the upper edge of the .wall of Y theocontain'er '5.' These indentations may be formed-for example by slitting the cover flange 27 and, the adjacent edge of-the container wall and prsssing thelower lip or side by the inwardly, so that the .in-

paralyzation, and brings the filament to 

